The morning in the assistant supervisor's office was heavy. Even the light slanting through the windows seemed tinged with gray. Kazuki just stared at the single notice pinned to the bulletin board. "Suspension of duties, prohibition of independent action, restricted campus access—" The disciplinary enforcement notice for Maki. De facto isolation. The wound on his shoulder throbbed dully. Beneath the bandages he'd wrapped himself the night before, blood was still seeping through. "[cold]Todo-kun, don't move around with that wound. You'll end up facing disciplinary action yourself." Toa spoke from behind him. His ice-blue eyes, framed by the documents in his arms, gleamed colder than usual. "[serious]But senpai. This is clearly wrong. Maki-san—" "[cold]I know. But don't go near her right now. Don't give them any more material for rule violations." Kazuki bit his lip. The wound hurt. But something deeper in his chest ached far worse. The image of Maki collapsing in tears in the hallway that night was seared into his mind. He'd said he believed in her. If that was true, he couldn't back down now. "[angry]…I'm sorry." Kazuki turned his back and left the assistant supervisor's office. Toa's sigh fell quietly into the hallway. —Just then. Riiip. The end of the bandage he'd wrapped himself caught on the doorknob. "Ah—" The white cloth unraveled smoothly. As if in a magic show, it was pulled from his shoulder, dragging long across the hallway floor. "You've gotta be kidding me…" Kazuki stared at it, dumbfounded. "[surprised]Whoa— Kazuki-kun, you look like a ghost!?" It was Rinka. Her arms full of first-aid supplies, she'd nearly collided with him in the hallway and was now blinking in bewilderment at the long tail of bandage. "N-no, it's not— this is—" "[worried]But it's coming undone… and there's blood seeping through? Are you okay!?" Rinka rushed over, her short-cropped emerald hair swaying, and pulled a massive assortment of adhesive bandages from her pouch. "Here, put these on for now! And this too! Oh, I've got gauze as well!! …But I'm not really confident about how to wrap bandages properly." Her odd eyes—gold on the left, silver on the right—wavered with worry. What she handed him included some Hello Kitty-patterned bandages of clearly indeterminate purpose. "[gentle]…Thank you, Rinka." "[sad]I… I can't do anything for Maki-chan. It's so frustrating." Rinka looked down, clenching her fists. Beneath her usual brightness, deep concern lay hidden. "[serious]It's okay. I'll figure something out." "[surprised]You're going?" "I'm going." For a moment, Rinka seemed about to say something. But she stayed silent and stepped aside. "[gently]…Please be careful." Kazuki didn't look back at her. Third floor of the girls' dormitory. The corner room at the very end. Kazuki stopped in front of Maki's room. His breathing was slightly ragged. The wound on his shoulder burned with heat. But his chest hurt even more. He knocked. "[gentle]Zenin-san. It's me. Can I come in?" No answer. The hallway air was cold. The light filtering through the window was hazy, like an overcast sky. In the distance, someone's footsteps sounded. They, too, soon faded away. "[sigh]…If you're not here, I'll go." Just as Kazuki started to speak— Click. The sound of a lock turning. The door opened, just barely. Maki's face, visible through the gap— was a wreck. Dark circles hung heavy beneath her eyes. Her amber eyes were drained dry, devoid of spirit. But most shocking of all was her hair. Her bangs had exploded in every direction, standing on end as if she'd been struck by lightning. "[surprised]Oh— were you asleep?" The words slipped out before he could stop them. Grind. Maki's foot, wordlessly, stepped down onto the top of Kazuki's foot. "Ow—!" But Maki said nothing more. She just glanced at Kazuki's face. The seeping bandages. The pale face. The bloodless lips. Her eyes wavered, just for an instant. The door opened wider, silently. Come in— that was probably what it meant. Kazuki stepped inside. The room was dim. Leaning by the window was a large cursed tool, 180 centimeters long—Maki's keepsake spear. On the desk, a few reference books on jujutsu. That was all. A sparse space. Maki pulled a first-aid kit from the closet and sat Kazuki down in a chair. "[cold]Take it off." "Huh?" "[angry]Your shirt. Idiot." Kazuki did as he was told and removed his shirt. Maki's hands roughly unwound the bandages. But the fingertips that touched the wound were surprisingly gentle. The smell of disinfectant. A cool, sharp sting. The wound had indeed opened. The bandages he'd just wrapped himself in last night had been useless. Fresh gauze was applied, and new bandages were wound around. "[sigh]Idiot. Your wound's open." Her voice trembled. It sounded angry, and yet on the verge of tears. Silence fell over the room. Only the clock's hands ticked away. Her hands stopped. The bottle of disinfectant was set down on the desk. "[whispers]…I don't know why I'm in the jujutsu world anymore." Her voice was hoarse. "When I was exiled, and here too— I ended up alone again. No matter how strong I get, they always say it's not enough. No cursed energy. A woman. Branch family.— I'm tired of it." Her shoulders were trembling. Kazuki rose from the chair. The wound hurt. His face twisted. But he didn't care—he reached out his arms. He pulled Maki's head toward him. "[sad]What are you—" "[serious]If you disappeared, I'd be in trouble. That's all." Strength filled the arms that held her. Not logic. Not encouragement. He just stated the fact. I need you— only that. The fist that had been beating against his chest slowly unclenched. She cried without making a sound. Tears fell onto Kazuki's bare shoulder. Warm. They seeped into the wound, stinging a little. Even so, Kazuki didn't loosen his grip. How much time passed? Maki's shoulders stopped trembling. She slowly raised her face. Her amber eyes, wet with tears, looked up at Kazuki. Their gazes crossed. Maki's fingers clutched the front of Kazuki's shirt, right at his chest. Don't let go— they seemed to say. (Ah, Maki is crying. For me.) (No, not for me. For herself.) (Even so, in this moment, right now, she's in my arms.) Kazuki's face drew closer, softly. Close enough for their breaths to touch. The one who moved first was Maki. Her lips touched Kazuki's. A tentative, hesitant contact—as if checking. —But the moment Kazuki responded. Maki grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in hard. The kiss deepened. Beneath the room's light, their clothes slowly fell to the floor, one by one. A wounded body, and an exhausted body. Neither of them was beautiful. Both were battered and worn. The bed accepted their combined weight. Kazuki's hands wrapped around Maki's back. They slid along the contours of her spine, fingers tangling at the curve of her waist. Maki's skin was cool and faintly damp with sweat. She probably hadn't taken proper care of herself after the fight. Even so, her real warmth came through. When Kazuki's lips pressed against the nape of her neck, her body jolted. "[whispers]Nn…" A short, breathless sound. A sweet note mixed into her voice. "[gentle]Doesn't it hurt… your wound?" Maki asked. Her voice was hoarse, yet soft. "[serious]Right now, I can't think about anything else." "[sigh]Idiot." Maki said that, and gently closed her eyes. Kazuki's fingers spread her thighs apart. In the dimness, his fingertips found her hidden place. Parting the thatch of hair, he discovered she was already wet. Her love juices overflowed thickly, slickly coating his entire finger. "[surprised]Ah…" Maki's hips lifted. As his finger slowly pushed deeper, the hot, wet mucosa clenched tight around it. With every curl and thrust of his finger, wet, squelching sounds echoed through the room. "[whispers]N-no… don't… those sounds…" "[gentle]Does it feel good?" "[crying]Nnn… I don't know…" When his thumb touched her clitoris, Maki arched her back. The clit pressed its small bud against the pad of his finger, and from her melting pussy, juices gushed out. "[gasping]Hyaah—! Not there… no…!" "[gentle]No?" "[embarrassed]…Don't stop." Her honest feelings slipped out, and Maki turned bright red all the way to her ears. She wrapped her arms around Kazuki's neck, burying her face against his chest, desperately trying to stifle her moans. Kazuki shifted his position, covering her body with his. He pressed his already rigidly erect penis against the entrance of her secret place. The glans, slick with her love juices, seemed about to be sucked into the quivering folds of flesh. "[whispers]I'm putting it in." "[gentle]…Okay." The tip sank in, slick and smooth. "Aaahhh—!!" Maki's back arched like a bow. The walls of her vagina clamped down tight around the invading shaft. Hot. Kazuki sank his hips down, pushing all the way to the deepest point in one motion. "So… deep…" "[gasping]Maki… you're so tight…" When he hit her deepest spot, Maki's body trembled violently. Forgetting even the pain of his wound, Kazuki drove his hips with single-minded focus. Smack, smack, smack. The sticky sound of fluids. The sound of flesh striking flesh. "Ah, ahn, ah, aahh— so deep, hitting so deep— Kazuki, that's— I'm gonna cum…!" "[gasping]Cum, then." "No— I'm really— cumming, cumming, cummingcummingcumming—!!" Maki's vagina spasmed, clenching tight all at once. Kazuki's penis was seized within her womb, and the pleasure of being milked dry pushed him to his limit as well. "[gasping]I'm cumming… inside you, Maki!" "[crying]Cum inside… please, cum inside me…!!" Spurt. Hot semen flooded her vagina. His hips convulsed on their own, pressing deeper and deeper as if to pour every last drop into her. "[sigh]Aaaahhh…" Maki went limp, utterly spent, breathing raggedly. Kazuki held her close, still inside her. From where they were joined, their mingled semen and love juices slowly seeped out, staining the sheets. Outside the window, the cherry tree swayed gently in the night breeze. Near dawn. Maki rested her head against Kazuki's chest and spoke in a small voice. "[whispers]You're the only one. Who's seen me like this." Her voice, as if to hide her embarrassment, carried a little of its usual tone. "[gentle]Same for me." "[sarcastic]…So we're two of a kind, huh?" "[laughing]Maybe so." The conversation returned to their usual light banter. But the warmth of Maki leaning against his chest carried a heat that reached all the way to his heart. Before long, Maki's breathing settled into a steady, sleeping rhythm. With the break of dawn, Kazuki quietly slipped out of bed. He picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and pulled a single memo from among them. Evidence he'd grabbed before—discrepancies between medical record values and timestamps. It was all written down on that paper. (Time and value discrepancies.) (I have to get to the original records.) (But an assistant supervisor can't access the upper management's hearing records room.) (So— a different route.) Legal means wouldn't be fast enough. In that case, he'd force Iris to cough up the evidence directly. A dangerous gamble. But there was no other way. "[quiet]If I said I won't run… would you believe me?" The voice came from behind him. Maki was already awake, sitting up in bed. In her hand, she gripped her spear. Kazuki answered without turning around. "[gentle]I already believe you." A clear voice, free of hesitation. Just then— From the hallway came the sound of steady footsteps. Clack, clack, clack. Unhesitating, firm, as if confirming something. Kazuki and Maki held their breath at the same time. (Toa-senpai—) Early morning in the girls' dormitory. One assistant supervisor. Kazuki, under movement restrictions, was in this area without permission. Their conta